Process of reducing metal.



H. S. BLAGKMORE. PROCESS OF REDUCING METAL. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 5, 1909.

74 3 WITNESSES: INVENTOR z fq HENRY SPENCER BLACKMORE, OF MOUNT VERNON, NEW YORK.

PROCESS OF REDUCING- METAL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 20, 1909.

Original application filed September 24, 1907, Serial No. 394,368. Divided and this application filed Match 5, 1909. Serial No. 481,260.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY SPENCER BLACKMORE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Mount Vernon, in the county of Westchester and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Processes of Reducing Metal, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to the reduction of metals, and is a division of an implication filed by me September 24, 1907, erial No. 394,368, which is a division of an application filed by me Se tember 23, 1904, berial No. 225,642, and w ich application is a division of my original application filed April 18, 1903, Serial No. 153,329, of whichoriginal application the present application is also a division; and said invention includes the subject matter revealed and claimed in Letters Patent of the United States, granted to me May 28, 1901, Patent No. 075,190, and October 2'3, 1901. No. 685,198, and May 6, 190;, No. 099,282, augmented by the action of an electric current, and. also matter revealed in Patent Number 881,049 issued March 3rd, 1908.

The object of my invention is to reduce metal from its compounds or compositions by thermo-chemical means and perform electrolysis of compounds in such a manner that a saving of electric current is effected and the electrolysis is facilitated and accomplished economically as compared with methods employed hitherto, and consists in employing as electrodes substances containing metal and carbon, either as carbid, acetylid, or other metal-carbon-containing compound or union, in i which condition either the metal or carbon content, or both, have a natural affinity for the electro-nega tive constituent of the compound to be electrolyzed, which affinity, when exercised during electrolysis, augments the applied electric current to such a degree that the process may be carried on readily with great saving.

As an illustration of my invention I will take for example the reduction of aluminium from its oxy-fluorid or mixture of oxid and fiuorid.

I place a mixture of aluminium oxid and fluorid in a carbon lined reduction pot, such as is usually employed for electric smelting, and pass a current of electricity therethrough, employing as anode calcium carbid,

which is readily produced at high temperatures, in an electric furnace by previous treatment. As the currentof electricity passes throu h the mixture of aluminium oxid and fluori it assumes a molten condition, which fluidity may be increased by addition of calcium chlorid; when the mass has assumed a fluid condition, electrolysis commences, the electro-negative constituents, fiuorin and oxygen being liberated at the anode and aluminium at the cathode, which constitutes the interior of the reduction pot or receptacle. The fluorin' and oxygen liberated at the anode immediately combine with the calcium carbid, producing carbonic oxid which escapes as a gas, and calcium fluorid, liberating metallic aluminium from the aluminium fluorid and oxid in accordance with the following reaction:

as covered by my United States Patent No. 699,282.

I can substitute other metal carbid or any other practical carbid or 111etal-carbon-containing compound for the calcium carbid, without departing from the spirit of my invention, which consists in employing a metal carbid or metal-carbon-containing compp und as electrode in the reduction of metals from their compounds.

The electrode may consist of a mixture of calcium or other carbid with carbon or other binder, or may consist wholly of the carbid, the essential feature being that the electrode contains a carbid of some form. Instead of metal oxy-fluorid or its equivalent, I can employ any other oxy-haloid or any substance containing metal and two or more electronegative elements, or a metal oxid per se, so long as the electro-negative elements are capable of combining with the elements of the carbid electrode.

The apparatus which I prefer to employ in carrying out my rocess for reducing metals, is illustrated in t 1e accompanying drawing, in which:

\ Figure 1 is a plan or top view; Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical section; andFig. 3 is a longitudinal vertical section.

Referring to the drawing, the letter A designates a box or receptacle preferably of castiron, lined with a conductive substance. B, such as carbon.

Hit)

The material to be reduced is introduced into the apparatus through the openings E, which are closed by the insulating covers or plugs F passing into the insulating cover X, through which passes the electrode G, which consists of or contains a carbid. and is adapted to be'employed as anode during the process of electro-chemical reduction.

In the operation of the process, I place in the rece tacle Z a quantity of aluminium oxid an aluminium fluorid and fuse the same by passing a current of electricity therethrough, between the carbon lining B, of the receptacle A, and the electrode G, having first started an electric are between the same by placing them in contact and gr: -lually se arating them, and feed the aluminium oxi and aluminium fluorid in at intervals as it fuses, and continue to add the mixture until the interior of the apparatus has been sufliciently filled; I then add to the molten content a small quantity of calcium chlorid to assist the fluidity of the mixture, and on continuing the current a reducing action is set up between the carbid contained in the electrode G, such as calcium carbid, and the electro-negative constituents, fluorin and oxygen of the aluminium fluorid and oxid sup lied thereto, whereby they are removed, t e fluorin combining with the calcium of the calcium carbid and the carbon liberated with the oxygen thereof, at the same time separating the metallic aluminium which accumulates in the bottom of the apparatus and is withdrawn from time to time through the tap-hole H, by removing the tap-hole plug 1. The carbon oxid evolved during the reduction of the carbon of the anode G with the oxy en of the substance reduced, escapes as gas t rough the conduit N.

By supplying new anodes G and fresh aluminium oxid and fluorid, from time to time, withdrawing the metal reduced and the ac cumulating fluorids, the process may be carried on continuously, solong as the materials are maintained in a molten condition, and if the. substances are maintained in a molten condition by means supplied external of the electrode'G bv passing an alternating electric current therethrough, or otherwise, an electric circuit may be established and the current generated durin the reduction of the 'metaland dissolution o f 'the carbid anode G by connecting the a aratus B throu h the binding contact K wit the electrode may be utilized in any convenient manner.

It should be noted in connection with the foregoing, that metallic carbids during their formation, absorb large quantities of heat energy, which energy is evolved upon decomposition. These compounds are generally termed endothermic compounds for this reason.

Alloys of aluminium and other metals may be produced by employing compounds eaaaao of the metal, the alloy of which is desired, in place of aluminium compounds, so long as the electro-negative constituent of the metal, an alloy of which is desired, has sufiicient aiiinity to the carbid anode to displace the same, whereby the two metals may be liberated by the concurrent combination of their electro-negative constituents with the carbid, readily uniting to produce alloys thereof.

The term carbid, as em )loyed throughout this specification and claims has particular reference to unions of metal with carbon of any atomicity, be it normal carbid, acetylid, or other metal-carbon-containing compound, so long as the metal-carbon-containing compound exists in a form capable of being utilized in accordance with the process herein set forth.

The term "metal-carbon-containing compound, employed herein, is intended to imply and does implya distinct chemical compound containing chemically combined elements, of which metal and carbon are essentials, and said expression is to be interpreted to the full extent and with the full meaning of the terms relating to such compounds as broadly set forth in the specification of the original application, filed April 18, 1903, Serial No. 153,329, of which the present application is a division, as before stated, as being substances containing metal and carbon, either as carbid, acetylid, or other union, it being obvious that the said metal-carbon-containing com )ound employed as electrode must be a conductor of electricity, capable of being acted upon by the anion of the electrolyte, and physically permanent or stable in character, '5. e., not thermally dissociated at the tem erature required for electrolysis when emp oyed as electrolytic electrode.

The ex ression containing employed in this specification and claims with reference to ingredients of the electrodes or anodes, such as metal-carbon-containing compounds, carbids, acetylids, etc., is intended to im ly and does imply an electrode or anode eit 101 containing such ingredient in part, or comprising the same essentially, or per .96.

It is not intended herein to include or cover such carbids as are known as methids of which the only known aluminium carbid is a species and which evolve methane on decomposition with water, in contradistinction to and from acetylids which evolve acetylene upon aqueous decomposition, and which species of methid is s ecifically revealed and claimed in my nited States Patent No. 881,049, dated March 3, 1908.

Having now described my invention, what I I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. The process of reducing-metal, which consists in exposing a substance containing metal to electrolysis, while employing an electrode containing a metal acetylid decom osable by an ingredient of the substance emp oyed and capable of liberating metal therefrom.

2. The process of reducing metal, which consists in exposing a substance containing metal and one or more non-metallic elements to electrolysis, while employing an electrode containing ametal acetylid decomposable thereby and capable of liberating metal therefrom.

3. The process of reducing metal, which consists in exposing a substance containing metal, oxygen, and a haloid, to electrolysis, while employing an electrode containing a metal acetylid decomposable thereby and capable of liberating metal therefrom.

4. The process of reducing metal, which consists in exposing a substancecontaining metal and oxygen to electrolysis, while em ploying an electrode containing a metal acetylid decomposable thereby and capable of liberating metal therefrom.

5. The process of reducing metal, which consists in exposing a substance containing metal and one or more non-metallic elements, while in a fused condition, to the action of electrodes containing a metal acetylid decomposable thereby and capable of liberating metal therefrom, and an electric current.

6. The process of reducing metal, which consists in fusing a compound, containing a metal and one or more electro-negative' elements, and exposing it to the action of calcium acet lid decomposable thereby and capable of iberating metal therefrom, and an electric current.

7. The process of reducing metal, which consists in fusing a compound, containing a metal and one or more electro-negative elements, and exposing it to the combined action of calcium acetylid decomposable thereby and capable of liberating metal therefrom, and an electric current.

8. The process of reducing metal, which consists in exposin a compound of metal with one or more e ectro-negative elements while in contact with calcium acetylid, capable of liberating the'metal,- and in a fused condition, to the action of an electric current.

9.,The process of reducing metal, which consists in exposing a fused c'ompound,con-

taining metal and one or more electro-negative elements, to an electrode containing calcium acetylid capable of liberating the metal and an electric current.

10. The process of reducing metal, which consists in exposing a substance containing the metal to electrolysis, while employing an electrode containing calcium acetylid decomposable by an ingredient of the substance employed and capable of liberating metal therefrom.

11. The process of reducing metal, which consists in exposing a substance containing metal and two or more non-metallic elements, capable of uniting with an element of an acetylid, to the action of an electrode containing calcium acetyli l.

12. The process of reducing metal, which consists in exposing a substance containing metal, oxygen, and a haloid to electrolysis, while employing an electrode containing calcium acetylid.

13. The process of reducing metal, which consists in exposing a fused substance, containing metal capable of being liberated by calcium acetylid, and oxygen, to electrolysis, while employing an electrode containing calcium acetylid.

14. The process of reducing metal, which consists in electrolyzin a molten substance containing metal, capa le of bein liberated by calcium acetylid, with an anode containing calcium acetylid.

, 15. The processof reducing metal, which consists in electrolyzing a substance containing metal and two or more electronegative elements, capable of uniting with an element of calcium acetylid, with an anode containing calcium acetylid.

16. The process of reducing metal, which consists in electrolyzing a substance containing metal, oxygen, and a haloid, with an anode containing calcium acetylid.

17. The process of reducing metal, which consists in electrolyzing a substance containing metal, oxygen, and fluorin, with an anode containing calcium acetylid.

18. The process of reducing metal, which consists in electrolyzin a molten substance containing metal, capa 1c of being liberated by a metal acetylid with an anode containing a metal acetylir 19. The process of reducing metal, which consists in electrolyzing a molten substance containing metal, capable of being liberated by an acetylid, with an anode containing an acetylid.

' 20. The process of reducin metal, which consists in electrolyzin a mo lten substance containing metal, capa le of bein liberated by an element of calcium carbi with an anode containing calcium carbid.

21. The process of reducing metal, which consists in electrolyzing a fused substance containing metal and one or more electronegative elements, capable of combining with an element of calcium carbid and liberating metal, with an anode containing calcium carbid.

22. The process of reducing metal, which consists in electrolyzing a substance containing metal, oxygen, and a haloid, with an anode containing calcium carbid.

23. The process of reducing metal, which consists in electrolyzing a substance containing metal, oxygen, and fluorin, with an anode containing calcium carbid.

24. The process of reducing metal, which consists in electrolyzing a molten substance containing metal and one or more electronegative elements, capable of combining with an element of an acetylid and liberating metal, with an anode containing an acetylid.

'25. The process of reducing metal, which consists in electrolyzing a molten substance containing metal and one or more electronegative elements, capable of combining with an element of a metal acetylid and liberating metal, with an anode containing a metal acetylid.

26. The process of reducing metal, which consists in electrolyzing a molten bath with an anode containing an acetylid, said bath complrising a salt and an oxid of the desired meta 27. The process of reducing metal, which consists in electrolyzing a molten bath with an anode containing a metal acetylid, said bath comprising a salt and an oxid of the desired metal.

an anode containing a metal acetylid, said a bath comprising a fluorin salt and an oxid of the desired metal.

32. The process of reducin metal, which consists in electrolyzing a molten bath with an anode containing calcium carbid, said bath comprising a salt and an oxid of the desired metal.

33. The process of reducing metal, which consists in electrolyzing a molten bath with an anode containing calcium carbid, said bath comprising a halogen salt and an oxid of the desired metal.

34. The process of reducin metal, which consists in electrolyzing a mo lten bath with an anode containing calcium carbid, said bath comprising a fluorin salt and an oxid of the desired metal.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

HENRY SPENCER RLA CKMORE.

Witnesses:

F. A. MILLIGAN, J. R. NOTTINGHAM. 

